About Rieko Otake

Rieko Otake makes unpainted, carved wood sculptures of forms that are human—or what she calls “at least humanlike.” Otake says that she does not use models for her work: “I decide [the forms] by moving around myself, holding myself off-balance.” They are not, however, self-portraits. Otake works in series, often on multiple sculptures at the same time. While her earlier works predominantly featured young female nudes, she has more recently been exploring clothed figures, multi-figure groups, and young children with animals. She also typically works with camphor wood, which she still considers her favorite, but began in 2008 to experiment with other types, including wood from Japanese cypress and Japanese Judas trees.